Jose Ortiz

José Ortiz is a painter, arts educator and multi-media artist committed to connecting art with our everyday world.  His paintings layer symbols and myths to create possibilities for connection between all peoples and cultures; to achieve this effect, he uses a mixture of photography, printmaking, collage and paint to reveal our common existence. These same artistic sources influence his art-making conversation with other communities. Most recently, he was selected to participate in the MTA: Arts for Transit Project. His work "Many Trails"  was commissioned for the 183rd Street and Jerome Avenue subway stop on the #4 line in the Bronx. His work has also been exhibited in galleries throughout the NYC region.  In addition, Jose has curated visual art shows, designed sets for choreographer Sita Frederick and was a key collaborator on several large-scale multi-media installation projects at the Bronx Museum of the Arts and at The Point, CDC. He was also Program Director at The Children's Art Carnival, a nationally recognized arts organization that provides arts education, vocational training and life-long learning experiences for young people in NYC.

Currently, José is an arts instructor for the Joan Mitchell Foundation and works with artistically inclined young people in grades seven through twelve. José also teaches at The Door, an after-school center that provides comprehensive youth development services.